A Harley Street acupuncturist is being sued for £100,000 amid claims he charged a disabled tenant tens of thousands of pounds to live in a cold, rat-plagued ‘shed’ in the garden of his family’s £1m London house.
Dr Shantha Godagama is a doctor of traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine and acupuncture at a prestigious clinic opened by King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, in 2001.
But he is now being sued by disabled former chef, Raymond Hanson, 52, who claims to have been housed by the doctor in ‘degrading’ slum-like conditions in a £1,040-a-month ‘shed’ behind a north London house since 2016.
The property in Cricklewood was formerly owned by Dr Godagama, 78, who a judge heard now acts as ‘landlord’ for his daughter, Sumuda Edirisnghe, to whom he gifted the house in 2015.
Father and daughter are trying to evict Mr Hanson for non-payment of rent, but he is counterclaiming, alleging that the doctor should pay around £100,000 damages over the ‘appallingly poor’ flat as it is ‘not fit for human habitation.’
Harley Street acupuncturist Dr Shantha Godagama, 78, is being sued for £100,000 amid claims he charged disabled tenant Raymond Hanson, 52, tens of thousands of pounds to live in a cold, rat-plagued ‘shed’ in Cricklewood, north London
Raymond Hanson (pictured) rented the ‘garden flat’ in Cricklewood, where properties sell for around £1 million, at a rate of £1,040 per month in 2016. But Dr Godagama and his daughter this week dragged him to court, claiming he owes them about £41,000 in rent
The doctor and his daughter however deny they are to blame and want £41,000 back rent, claiming Mr Hanson himself is at fault for the state of his living conditions.
Mr Hanson’s barrister, Nick Bano, told Recorder Jonathan Gavaghan at Mayors and City County Court that ‘for about seven years, he has been living in appallingly poor quality accommodation, let to him by Dr Shantha Godagama.
‘The accommodation might fairly be described as a “bed-in-shed” arrangement.’
So-called ‘beds-in-sheds’ are sub-par housing – often found in sheds, garages or shelters – which are prevalent in London due to the lack of sufficient quality accommodation.
Dr Godagama specialises in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, which treats patients using a combination of therapies, including yoga, massage, acupuncture and homeopathy.
He is partially based at Harley Street’s prestigious Hale Clinic, which was officially opened by the then Prince of Wales, famously a supporter of alternative medicine, in 1988.
Dr Godagama, who is considered one of the world’s leading practitioners, was also in 2001 invited to a meeting at St James’ Palace to discuss alternative medicine.
Mr Hanson is a trained chef, originally from Birmingham, but has been unemployed for several years and registered disabled with several severe health conditions.
The property in Cricklewood was formerly owned by Dr Godagama, 78, who a judge heard now acts as ‘landlord’ for his daughter, Sumuda Edirisnghe, to whom he gifted the house in 2015
He rented the ‘garden flat’ behind the Richborough Road house, in Cricklewood, where properties sell for around £1 million, at a rate of £1,040 per calendar month in 2016.
But Dr Godagama and his daughter, who works with him, this week dragged him to court over non-payment of rent, claiming that he owes them to the tune of about £41,000.
But Mr Bano told the judge that the ‘garden flat’ is actually a brick-built ‘bed-in-shed’ behind the main house, which itself has been converted into a ‘house in multiple occupation,’ comprising eight flats.
He said the structure had been erected in the back garden, which it almost completely fills, ‘without planning permission or building control consent’ and suffers with a rat infestation outside.
‘The so-called ‘garden flat’ was originally one small room with a toilet and shower facilities,’ he told the judge.
‘But it has since been knocked through to connect to a former storage room, which now serves as a kitchenette.
‘The kitchen is unusable, the electrical system is dangerous, there is a rat infestation, and the decorations and fixtures are generally in a very poor state.
Mr Hanson’s solicitor said the structure in the back garden, which it almost completely fills, was built ‘without planning permission or building control consent’ and suffers with a rat infestation (Pictured: a dead rat outside the “shed” home of Raymond Hanson)
‘It is common ground that there is no heating system and there never has been, so the tenant has always had to use portable electric or gas heaters.
‘There is no hot water supply, the shower is unusable…therefore, only cold-water washing facilities.
‘There is no sink or hot water, which means the defendant washes with a kettle, but this poses difficulties because the electrics are in a poor state.’
He said Mr Hanson had been subjected to a ‘humiliating, degrading and offensive environment’.
‘He contracted for a dwelling that was fit for human habitation. That is the most basic element of the contract,’ he said.
‘The claimant did not perform the contract in the most essential sense.’
He said the judge should award damages against Dr Godagama and his daughter of between £80,725 and £94,080 for renting out a ‘seriously defective and irregularly-built structure to a person with significant physical health need’, plus another £9,000 for ‘injury to feelings’ under the Equality Act 2010.
Representing himself alongside his daughter, Dr Godagama accepted that the flat is in a poor state.
But he claimed that Mr Hanson is responsible for that, because he has done unauthorised works to the property to create the kitchen area, and also refused access to workers to fix things.
‘The tenancy agreement expressly provided for the granting of access to the landlord or his workmen upon reasonable request,’ he told the judge.
‘The claimant has proven with abundance of evidence relating to the defendant’s consistent refusal of access, despite repeated demands and entreaties.
‘Above all, the defendant, owing to his recalcitrant breaches, has subjected the demised property to fall into serious disrepair.
‘Throughout his tenancy, he hasn’t been giving access. That is the basis for the case.
‘We wouldn’t be here today if he had given access to my workmen to carry out repairs.’
He said Mr Hanson had repeatedly failed to pay his rent, which is due every Monday, racking up about £41,000 in arrears.
But for Mr Hanson, Mr Bano said work done to the flat had been done with permission and added: ‘There is no evidence that the landlord has ever been ‘ready and willing’ to install central heating or hot water.’
After a three-day trial at the court, Recorder Gavaghan reserved his decision on the case until a later date.